The present invention relates to a synthetic fiber treatment agent composition, and in particular to a synthetic fiber treatment agent composition capable of providing synthetic fiber padding with better smoothness, repulsion, and the like.
Polyester fibers or acrylic fibers have been used conventionally for the synthetic fibers of padding. Polyester fibers in particular have a higher compression modulus and better recovery than synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyvinyl chloride, or polypropylene, making them suitable for mattress padding, pillows, cushions, costume padding, and the like. Many silicone-based fiber treatment agents have thus far been proposed to provide such polyester and acrylic fibers with better smoothness and repulsion. Examples include a treatment agent comprising a high molecular weight polydimethylsiloxane and an amino group-containing alkoxysilane (JP Patent Application Publication No. Sho 51-37996), treatment agents based on an epoxy group-containing siloxane and an amino group-containing alkoxysilane (JP Patent Application Publication Nos. Sho 53-19715 and Sho 53-19716), a treatment agent comprising an amino group-containing siloxane, epoxy group-containing siloxane, and amino group-containing alkoxysilane (JP Patent Application Publication No. Sho 58-1231), and treatment agents based on an amino group-containing siloxane and an amino group-containing alkoxysilane (JP Patent Application Publication No. Sho 58-17310 and JP Patent Application Laying Open No. Hei 7-305278). However, such treatment agents require an alkoxysilane to be blended in as a component for providing smoothness, resulting in alcohol by-products from the alkoxysilane during treatment. Treatment agents in which methoxysilane has been blended, for example, result in methanol by-products, and run the risk of polluting the working environment and of causing explosions.
As a result of extensive research to overcome such drawbacks, the inventors perfected the present invention upon discovering the effectiveness of combining an amino group-containing polyorganosiloxane with a high amino group content and specific terminal groups, and an amino group-containing polydiorganosiloxane with a low amino group content or a polydiorganosiloxane with no amino groups.
An object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic fiber treatment agent composition capable of providing synthetic fibers, particularly synthetic fiber padding, with better hand, smoothness, repulsion, and the like.
The present invention is a synthetic fiber treatment agent composition comprising (A) an amino group-containing polyorganosiloxane, where the terminals of the molecular chain are groups described by general formula 
where R is a C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon or hydroxyl group, with at least 80 mol % of all R comprising monovalent hydrocarbon groups; R2 is a C1 to C10 divalent hydrocarbon group; R3 and R4 are hydrogen atoms or C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon groups; a is an integer from 0 to 5; p is an integer from 0 to 2; q is an integer from 0 to 3, and r is 0 or 1, where (p+q+r)=3, and at least 30 mol % of all siloxane units per molecule are amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units described by general formula 
where R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above and
(B) a polydiorganosiloxane described by general formula 
where A is selected from a group consisting of trialkylsilyl, a hydrogen atom, and a C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon group; R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above; x is an integer of 1 or more; and y is 0 or an integer of 1 or more, where y/(x+y) is no more than 0.1.
The present invention is a synthetic fiber treatment agent composition comprising (A) an amino group-containing polyorganosiloxane, where the terminals of the molecular chain are groups described by general formula 
where R is a C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon or hydroxyl group, with at least 80 mol % of all R comprising monovalent hydrocarbon groups; R2 is a C1 to C10 divalent hydrocarbon group; R3 and R4 are hydrogen atoms or C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon groups; a is an integer from 0 to 5; p is an integer from 0 to 2; q is an integer from 0 to 3, and r is 0 or 1, where (p+q+r)=3, and at least 30 mol % of all siloxane units per molecule are amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units described by general formula 
where R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above, and
(B) a polydiorganosiloxane described by general formula 
where A is a trialkylsilyl group, a hydrogen atom, or a C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon group; R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above; x is an integer of 1 or more; and y is 0 or an integer of 1 or more, where y/(x+y) is no more than 0.1.
The component (A) amino group-containing polyorganosiloxane is a component for providing synthetic fibers with better smoothness and repulsion. The polyorganosiloxane is characterized in that the terminals of the molecular chain are groups described by general formula 
and at least 30 mol % of all siloxane units per molecule are amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units represented by general formula 
In the formulas, R is a C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon or hydroxyl group, with at least 80 mol % of all R comprising monovalent hydrocarbon groups. Examples of monovalent hydrocarbon groups include saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon groups such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, and tetradecyl; unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon groups such as vinyl and allyl; saturated alicyclic groups such as cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl; aromatic hydrocarbon groups such as phenyl, tolyl, and naphthyl; and such groups where some of the hydrogen atoms have been substituted with organic groups containing epoxy groups, halogen atoms, or the like. R may be the same or different, but is preferably a methyl group. R2 is a C1 to C10 divalent hydrocarbon group, such as alkylene, arylene, or alkenylene. R2 is preferably an ethylene or propylene group. R3 and R4 are hydrogen atoms or C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon groups. Specific examples of monovalent hydrocarbon groups include the same groups as those given for R. R3 and R4 may be the same or different, but are preferably hydrogen atoms. The symbol a is an integer from 0 to 5, but is preferably 0 or 1. The symbol p is an integer from 0 to 2, q is an integer from 0 to 3, and r is 0 or 1, where (p+q+r)=3. The content of the aforementioned amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units are at least 30 mol % of the total siloxane units, preferably at least 50 mol %, and even more preferably at least 70 mol %. This is because the intended effects are less likely to be achieved when the proportion of amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units is less than 30 mol %. Examples of units other than the aforementioned amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units of this component forming the polyorganosiloxane include siloxane units represented by R2SiO2/2, RSiO3/2, R4xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94(CH2CH2NR3)a-R2-SiO3/2, R3SiO1/2, and SiO4/2 (where R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above). The proportion of such siloxane units is limited only to the extent that the effects of the present invention are not compromised. The molecular structure of this component is preferably linear or linear with partial branches. The viscosity of component (A) at 25xc2x0 C. is usually 10 to 100,000 mm2/s, and the degree of polymerization of linear polyorganosiloxanes is preferably within the range of 2 to 1000, and more preferably 10 to 500. An example of a method for producing component (A) is to add an excess amount of water to N-xcex2-(aminoethyl)-xcex3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, heat the mixture to 70xc2x0 C. to ensure complete hydrolysis, and then heat the product at reduced pressure to remove the methanol and water. In another method, N-xcex2-(aminoethyl)-xcex3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane is mixed with silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, an excess amount of water and potassium hydroxide are added, the material is heated, the aminosilane is hydrolyzed at 70xc2x0 C., and the aminosilane hydrolysate and silanol-terminated polydimethylsiloxane are copolymerized as the water and methanol are removed at 90xc2x0 C.
Specific examples of component (A) include polyorganosiloxanes represented by the following average formulas. 
The polydiorganosiloxane (B) is described by general formula 
In the formula, A is selected from the group consisting of trialkylsilyl, hydrogen atom, and C1 to C20 optionally substitutable monovalent hydrocarbon groups, and is preferably a hydrogen atom or monovalent hydrocarbon group. Specific examples of monovalent hydrocarbons include the same as those for R above, although alkyl groups are preferred. The symbol x is an integer of 1 or more; and y is 0 or an integer of 1 or more. Although the maximum for x and y is not particularly limited, the value selected should result in a polydiorganosiloxane having a viscosity of at least 50 mm2/s in order to provide softness, smoothness, and repulsion. A viscosity of 300 to 30,000 mm2/s is even more desirable. The ratio y/(x+y) is no more than 0.1, and preferably no more than 0.02. A value greater than 0.1 will not provide satisfactory smoothness, and will result in pronounced yellowing caused by the amino groups. Although R, R2, R3, R4, and a are the same as above, at least 80 mol % of R should be methyl groups in order to provide the fiber with a better hand. Amino groups represented by xe2x80x94R2xe2x80x94(NR3CH2CH2)axe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94R4 are commonly groups represented by xe2x80x94C3H6xe2x80x94(NHCH2CH2)aNH2.
The method for producing component (B) is not particularly limited. In one specific example, a polydimethylsiloxane blocked at both ends with silanol groups and N-xcex2-(aminoethyl)-xcex3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane are allowed to react for a specified time at 90xc2x0 C. in the presence of a basic catalyst such as potassium hydroxide, and the basic catalyst is then neutralized with an acid. Component (B) may be one type structure used by itself, or a mixture of two or more different types of structures. Preferred mixtures include a polydiorganosiloxane containing no amino groups, where y in the aforementioned formula is 0, and a polydiorganosiloxane that contains amino groups, where y is 1 or more. The mixing ratio preferably ranges from 1:99 to 99:1.
Specific examples of component (B) include the polydiorganosiloxanes represented by the following average formulas. 
Components (A) and (B) are preferably blended in a ratio of 1 to 50 weight parts, and even more preferably 2 to 30 weight parts component (A) per 100 weight parts component (B).
The present composition is based on the aforementioned components (A) and (B), but other components may also be added as needed, such as antistatic agents, non-silicone-based organic softeners, alkoxysilanes, or partial hydrolysates thereof, which have reactive groups such as amino groups or epoxy groups, alkylalkoxysilanes or partial hydrolysates thereof, preservatives, and anti-mildewing agents. When fiber yellowing caused by the amino groups in the present composition becomes a problem, compounds having groups that are reactive with amino groups such as epoxy compounds or organic acids or their anhydrides can be added to suppress yellowing caused by amino groups.
The present composition is usually diluted with a solvent and adjusted to the prescribed concentration, or is emulsified and dispersed in water using a surfactant to produce an emulsion, which is then diluted with water and adjusted to the prescribed concentration before use. Emulsion dispersions in water are particularly desirable. Examples of surfactants which may be used for emulsification include polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers or polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene alkyl ethers, which have alkyl groups such as lauryl, cetyl, stearyl, or trimethylnonyl groups; polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ethers having alkylphenyl groups such as nonylphenyl or octylphenyl; polyethylene glycol fatty acid esters comprising the addition polymerization of ethylene oxide to fatty acids such as stearic acid or oleic acid; nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene glycerin fatty acid esters and polyglycerin fatty acid esters; anionic surfactants such as alkylsulfates and alkylbenzenesulfonates; cationic surfactants such as quaternary ammonium salts and alkylamine salts; and amphoteric surfactants such as alkylbetaines and alkylimidazolines. Examples of ways to prepare emulsions include methods in which components (A) and (B) are separately emulsified using the aforementioned surfactants, and the two emulsions are then mixed; and methods in which components (A) and (B) are mixed, and are then emulsified using the aforementioned surfactants. Examples of emulsifying devices which may be used include homomixers, homogenizers, propeller-bladed agitators, line mixers, and colloid mills. The polyorganosiloxane of component (A) is water-soluble when containing a large amount of the aforementioned amino group-containing diorganosiloxane units. In such cases, therefore, the emulsion of component (B) can be prepared, and component (A) can then be blended therein as such, or an aqueous solution of component (A) can be prepared first, and then blended in an emulsion of component (B). When fibers are treated, a solution or emulsion of the composition of the present invention is applied to the fibers by impregnation, spraying, or another means, and the fibers are then preferably dried and heat treated. When an emulsion of the present composition is used, the amount applied to the fibers should result in 0.1 to 3 wt % composition in terms of solids.
The present composition characteristically provides synthetic fibers, particularly synthetic fiber padding, with excellent hand, smoothness, repulsion, and the like. The present invention is, in particular, able to provide smoothness as good as that provided by alkoxysilanes conventionally used to provide smoothness, but without the use of such alkoxysilanes. Another advantage is the extremely low level of alcohol by-products during treatment.